Mine door



March 1927' "r. E. LITTLEJOHN MINE DOOR Filed June 16. 1926 aunt 11E.Littlejohn I I (Yum Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

UNITED 1,620,669 BATEN QF'FLCEP THOMAS EDWARD. LITT-LEJOHN,; 0E Loo our,wuss. .v me nrm Applieation filed June 16,

This invention relates to a' min e door and it consists in the ,novelfeatures hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a mine door structure.including a frame adapted to be positioned at the! mouthor entrance oranypart of a mine or shaftand having the door. panel so mounted andarranged that it will normally rema n in a closed position but thepartsare so assembled that it may be. opened by swingingm either of twodirections by means of pressure which isapplied laterally to the doorpanel.

With this object in view the structure includes a hingepintle mounted atone of the vertical uprights of the frame of the door and a Uboltmounted upon the same upright at a pointspaced below said-pintle andwith its intermediate, portions in vertical alinement with the frameOther U- bolts are also mounted upon thesaid uprights one at each sideof the verticalline passing through the pintle an the intermediateportion of the first mentioned- U bolt. A door panel; is provided with ahinge member which engages the pintle and with a pivoted loop memberadapted" to engage around-the intermediate portion of the firstmentioned U bolt. Strips are applied to opposite sides ofthe door paneland are providedat their ends with notches adapted to receive the secondmentioned U bolts. While springs are employed, they are not absolutelynecessary, and they are connected at one end with the door panel and attheir other end with the frame upright at the same side of the doorpanel. Curved buffers are mounted one at each side of the door panel.

The arrangement is such that when pressure is applied to either one ofthe buffers the door panel is swung whereby the edge one of the notchesof one of the strips engages the adjacent U bolt as the panel springs toan openposition andconsequently the lower portion of the doorpanel isslightly lifted as thepanel's swing to an open position. When thelocomotive, car, cranimal or any other agency'which has swung the doorpasses through the frame pressure is removed fromthe side of the door orthe buffer thereof the panel will by grav ity and by the assistance ofthe frameswing back to its normal closedpo'sition. in. the. door frame.

M nn noon 1926. Serial No. 116,428.

In the accompanying drawing Figured, is aside elevatio'nal view of themine door,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereofgcut on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1,

Figure 3 is a sideelevation the supporting uprights of the door frameand showing the upper portion of the door frame in section,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of'the strips appliedto the side of the door panel.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the loop used upon the door panelandwhich is adapted to engage the lower U-b'olt.

As illustrated in the accompanying case the mine door structure includesa frame 1 including a vertical side upright 2:. A hinge pintle 3 ismounted upon the upright 2 and a U-bolt 4 is also mounted upon the saidupright below .the hinge pintle and spaced therefrom andwith itsintermediate portion in vertical alinement with the end of the pintle 3.Other U-bolts5 are mounted upon the upright 2 and are located betweenthepintle 3 andU-bolt 4. These U bolts 5 are located one beyond each sideof the vertical line which passes through the intermediate portion ofthe U-bolt 4 and through the end portion of thepintle 3.

The mine door structure also includes a panel- 6 adapted to fitwithinthe frame 1 and which is provided at its opposite side surfaceswith outwardly bowed buffers 7. A strap 8 is applied to the intermediateportions of the panel 6 andis carriedaround one endthereof-providing abend 9 which receives the end portion of the pintle 3. A loop link 10 ispivotally connected with the lower part of the panel and itsintermediate portion extends around theed'ge of the panel and passesthrough or around the interme diate portion ofthe lower U-bolt 1. Thisconnection is relatively loose. so that the panel 6 may tilt as it'isbeing swung with relation to the frame and upon the pintle 3. Strips'1-1- of inetal'are appliedto the side surfaces of: the panel 6 and haveend portions which project. beyondthe edge of the said panel. The said pojecting. end portions of the strips 11 are twisted as'at 12 max the'extremities ofthe said twisted por tions. are provided with notches. 13which lie opposite the. intermediate. portion of the. U- bolts. 5 and.the wall surfaces 'ofwhich may engage. the.' intermediate. portion of.the. said;

U-bolt when the door panel is swung with relation to the frame in eitherof two directions. Coil springs 14 are connected at one end with thepanel 6 and at their other end with the upright 2. These springs assistin returning the door panel from an open to a closed position as will hehereinafter explained.

The arrangement of the parts and features is such that when pressure isapplied to the buffers 7 or at either of the sides of the door panel 6the panel is swung in the same direct-ion in which the pressure is beingapplied, and the bend 9 of the hinge member 8 turns upon the ends of thepintle 3. At the same time the edge wall of one of the notches engagesthe adjacent U-bolt and thus the lower portion of the door panel isslightly lifted and one of the springs 14: is stretched. .Vhen pressureis removed from the door panel the same will gravitate to its closedposition in the frame and the said spring will contract and assist inbringing the door panel to its normal closed position.

The loop link in conjunction with the adjacent U-bolt l will prevent thedoor panel from being knocked off of the hinge pintle in the event thatthe pressureis applied to the side of the panelwith great force. At thesame time the link connection between the loop link and the bolt issufficiently loose to permit the door panel to swing in the manner ashereinbefore described, when pressure is applied to the same.

The degree to which the door is lifted or elevated when swung to an openposition maybe regulated by adjusting the U-bolts 5 longitudinally inthe upright 2, thus increasing or diminishing the space which isnormally provided between the intermediate portion of the said U-boltsand the walls of the notches 13.

A door thus construct-ed requires no attention, and may be readilyoperated by a mules head coming in contact with the same in either oftwo directions. In case of accident in the mine the door will not in anyway interfere with the ready escape of the miners, as it will open aswell from either direction and will swing to an open positionequal tothe full capacity of the frame of the door.

The structure will also prevent the escape of dangerous gases from themine or from one shaft of the mine into another,

From the foregoing description of the construction of my improveddevice. it will beseen that I have provided a simple, inex pensive andeflicient means for carrying out the objects of the invention and whileI have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform thefunctions set forth, it is obvious that various changes inform,

"proportion and in the minor details of 0011- struction may be resortedto without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theprinciples of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A mine door structure comprising a frame having a vertical upright, ahinge pintle mounted upon the upright, a U-bolt mounted upon the uprightand having its intermediate portion in alinement with the pintle, otherU-bolts mounted upon the upright and located one at each side of theline between the pintle and the intermediate portion of the firstmentioned U-bolt, a door panel, a hinge member carried by the door paneland engaging the pintle, a loop member carried by the panel and engagingthe intermediate portion of the first mentioned U-bolt and membersapplied to the sides of the door panel and provided with end portionsextending beyond the edge thereof and having notches adapted to receivethe second mention-ed U-bolts when the panel is swung with relation tothe frame.

2. A mine door structure comprising a frame having an upright, a pintlemounted upon the upright, a retaining U-bolt mounted upon the uprightand having an intermediate portion in alinement with the pintle, otherU-bolts mounted upon the upright and located one at each side of thealinement between the first mentioned bolt and the pintle, and havingintermediate portions disposed out of the vertical plane in which thepintle lies, a door panel, a hinge member carried by the door panel andengaging the pintle, members applied to the opposite sides of the doorpanel and having end portions projecting beyond the edge thereof andprovided with notches engageable with the intermediate portions of thesecond mentioned U-bolts and springs connected at one end with the doorpan-e1 and at their other end with the upright.

3. A mine door structure comprising a frame having an upright, a hingepintle mounted thereon, a retaining U-bolt mounted thereon and having anintermediate portion in alinement with the pintle, other U-bolts mountedupon the upright at opposite sides of the alinement between the firstmentioned U-bolt and the pintle, and having inter mediate portionsdisposed out of the vertical plane in which the pintlelies, a doorpanel, a hinge member carried by the door panel and engaging the pintle,straps applied. to

the opposite side of the door panel and hav ing end portions projectingbeyond the edge thereof, said end portions of the straps being twistedand having notches normally engaging the intermediate portions of thesecond mentioned U-bolts when the door panel is closed and adapted todisengage said U-bolts singly when the door panel is swung with relationto the frame t. A mme door structure comprising a frame having anupright, a pintle mounted upon the upright, a retaining U-bolt mountedupon the upright and having an intermediate portion in alinement withthe pintle, other U-bolts mounted upon the upright and boat ed one ateach side of the alinement between the first mentioned bolt and thepintle, a door panel, a hinge member carried by the door panel andengaging the pintle, a link member carried by the door panel andengaglng through the first mention-ed U-bolt,

members applied to the opposite side of the door panel and having endportions projecting beyond the edge thereof and provided with notchesengageable with the int-ermediate portions of the second mentionedU-bolt and spring connected at one end with the door panel and at theirother end with the upright.

In testimony whereof I alfix my si nature.

THOMAS EDWARD LITTLEJOHN.

